The Volleyball Diaries
by Ontogenesis
Summary: Kaneko Masako has always been good at reading people -- except for perhaps that slacker, Mitani Yuki. Written for the LJ community fifthmus exchange.


**Title:** _The Volleyball Diaries_  
**Note: **Written for verloren1983 for the 5th Hikago Xmas exchange, fifthmus.

**Characters:** Kaneko & Mitani. 

**Warnings:** Junior high school students? Hahaha. (Minor cursing). 

**Word Count:** 3000

* * *

**Kindergarten:**

"My, such a severe expression for a little girl. You ought to smile; you'll look much prettier."

Kaneko does not smile, although she does dip her head in acknowledgment of the seamstress' admonition. She could care less about being "pretty," or about getting fitted for a new school uniform. The uniform is significant to her only because she must have it to attend school, and her mother has assured her that there will be a lot of new books at school. Kaneko has already read all the ones at their home, and has worked her way through a significant portion of the children's books at the nearest library.

"It's simply her way. She's always thinking," Kaneko's mother interjects gently.

The seamstress clucks her tongue at that, and finishes her measurements. The seamstress informs her mother that she'll have the uniform and a spare ready in time for the start of school.

Her mother pays the seamstress, a smile on her face, and Kaneko realizes that her mother is beautiful, regardless of the expression on her face.

No one has ever told her mother to smile.

**Junior High:**

Kaneko had never given much thought to the fact that her uniforms must be custom-made, and that she can only shop at those select few stores that carry "plus" sizes. It's simply the way it's always been, and Kaneko's mother has never complained about the extra expense or the hassle of clothing a plus-size daughter, or indicated that there's anything unusual about Kaneko.

A few kids at elementary have teased her about being large, but Kaneko just ignores them. There's no real malice behind the taunts, and Kaneko recognizes that the ones doing the taunting are the same ones who stare longingly at the stars next to Kaneko's name on the achievements poster. She's got so many stars that it's starting to resemble a golden Milky Way.

Then junior high begins. There is no achievements poster in junior high, and there are no gold stars. There is, however, a sudden and puzzling obsession with bodies among the girls – not just their own, but each others' – especially Kaneko's. Kaneko notices a particular group of girls staring at her whenever they're changing for physical education class.

Kaneko is bewildered at the fixation, especially since the boys are not even interested in any of them, other than to glare and mutter darkly about cooties whenever the teachers foolishly assign mixed-gender groups. Kaneko has never harbored a crush on anyone, but she's read some popular manga and watched a few J-dramas, so she does understand the general concept being behind "pretty." A girl is supposed to be pretty so she can catch the attention of her romantic interest.

But Kaneko has already evaluated the boys in her immediate class, and is thoroughly unimpressed. Most of them are still rather scrawny, and even fewer of them appreciate the importance of regular hand-washing, judging from the dirt under their fingernails.

If Kaneko decides to be pretty, it certainly isn't going to be on account of any of _them_.

**Bullying:**

It's about three months into their first year that the fixation on Kaneko's body finally takes an ugly turn, three months being sufficient time for the shock and timidity associated with a new school to wear off. The girls who are always staring start seeking Kaneko out with "helpful" advice.

The word "fat" never actually materializes, but for Kaneko, it's always present in their exchanges, unspoken but perfectly understood.

Kaneko is skimming through the history textbook, waiting for class to start when she's interrupted.

"Kaneko-chan, I was wondering if you'd heard about the new banana diet. It _really_ works, you know! Not, of course, that I'm saying that you _need_ to lose weight, but if you _wanted_ to slim down a bit, you know..."

Kaneko recognizes the overly cutesy voice, and doesn't even look up from the book to acknowledge Yui. Kaneko has, of course, heard of the latest diet craze, and found it rather stupid: only a banana for breakfast? That isn't enough energy to even last her through her long train commute, let alone through the morning testing. Poor nutrition is linked to poor concentration and thus poor grades, according to a newspaper article she read. Kaneko doesn't bother trying to explain this to Yui, though. Yui doesn't read the newspaper, or even her history textbook.

Yui hides fashion magazines in her textbook.

**Acceptance:**

"Hey, you ever play volleyball?"

Kaneko blinks, momentarily taken aback that a third-year girl is voluntarily talking to _her_, a first-year. And this girl is... different. Tall, with short-cropped hair, and a certain set about her shoulders that suggests she's _strong_ and knows it.

"No..." Kaneko says, after the surprise has worn off. "Weren't the new members already chosen for the volleyball club?" Sign-ups for regular clubs, and try-outs for the sports clubs were held back when school first started. (Kaneko joined the library club.)

"Tamagawa-sensei doesn't mind if people join later, and we need some fresh blood. You know, twisted ankles, pulled hamstrings, broken fingers, the usual." The senior shrugs fatalistically."It's a rough sport, and we're competitive. You look tough, though. You should come to a practice."

Kaneko has never been called "tough" but somehow it seems like a compliment, coming from this girl who speaks of injury so casually. "I don't know any of the rules," she says carefully, neither refusing nor accepting.

The third-year shrugs again. "I heard you're smart. You'll learn soon enough. The most important thing is, are you willing to be a team player?"

Kaneko studies the other girl carefully. She's solidly built, legs well-muscled, skin darkened from sun exposure.

Kaneko bets she would never prattle on about bananas, or hide fashion mags in her books.

"Yes."

**Sacrifice:**

Being a team player, apparently, means daily practice after school, and twice-a-day practice when a tournament or important game is scheduled. It means aching, trembling muscles, some of them muscles Kaneko didn't even know she possessed. It means sweat and pain and stinging wherever the ball slaps down hard against her skin. It means heat, enough to induce nausea on the hottest days; it means humidity, Japan's infamous dampness that leaves the whole team as soaking as if they'd taken a group steam bath during their summer break practices.

It also means new hair, cut all the way to her jawline, and buzzed in the back exactly like every other member of the team (the girl who'd recruited Kaneko – the captain – had given her a reference photograph to bring to her hair stylist).

Kaneko runs her fingers through her short hair, then touches the exposed back of her neck. She's never had short hair before.

Kaneko looks down by her feet, and sees her long locks, messy and dark against the white salon floor.

She feels lighter.

**Respect:**

Near the end of the second semester, Kaneko realizes that almost all of the other first-years have started calling her "-san."

She isn't sure how much of it's the recently posted class rankings -- she's ranked second out of the entire class -- and how much of it's the volleyball. The captain wasn't exaggerating when she said the club was competitive, and Haze Junior High likes winners.

Being seen frequently in the presence of tough-looking juniors and seniors doesn't hurt, either.

No one asks volleyball members about stupid diets.

**Downside:**

Kaneko doesn't particularly care when boys pull exaggerated faces at her newly muscled body, and mouth "strong!" like they're frightened.

She does, however, still possess her feminine pride. Her hair might be short, and her fingernails hopelessly chipped, but she keeps herself clean, and her uniform ironed. She'd even accessorize with her favorite earrings if the school allowed jewelry.

When Shindou Hikaru drags her to the go club and suggests dressing her up as a boy for a competition, Shindou is very lucky he doesn't find out exactly how strong Kaneko is.

**Cat:**

The volleyball team keeps a busy schedule, so Kaneko can't attend the go club often. She joined the volleyball team first, so it's her priority, but she does feel bad, knowing that the girls in the go club could definitely use her help. The girls need a third member to attend competitions as a team.

Second year rolls around, and thanks to the crop of new recruits from the first year class, Kaneko is no longer the youngest player on the volleyball team. The responsibility of grounds maintenance and equipment duty now falls to them, so Kaneko has more free time, enough to start attending the go club regularly.

Kaneko is eager to play again (Shindou, despite his complete lack of finesse, has gotten her excited about go) so she's happy to see several new faces when she enters the science room after school.

"Who's the strongest person here?"

Everyone points to a second-year boy who isn't in Kaneko's class, a Mitani something-or-other. She's noticed him loitering around school after class before, always leaning against walls or reclining on stairs, arms folded behind his head, his eyes half-lidded and indifferent to the activity around him.

With that same cool indifference, Mitani acknowledges the designation as the strongest with the slightest incline of his head, as if he can't be bothered to even verbally accept the adulation of his peers.

_Just like a cat_, Kaneko thinks with a smirk. Cats don't respect people who fawn over them.

So Kaneko offers to let Mitani put stones down for their first game.

It's all she can do not to burst out laughing when Mitani literally _bristles_ at the suggestion.

**Bad Habits:**

Really, Kaneko scolds herself, she ought to set a better example for Koike-kun; he's such an impressionable first-year, soaking up every action of his seniors with wide eyes.

For example, her after-school spats with Mitani.

"You think _I_ made a mistake in yose? I _won_! The loser isn't supposed to criticize the winner!" Mitani shrieks.

"I apologize. I just _assumed_ that you would want to know about your weak areas," Kaneko replies placidly, biting the inside of her lip to keep from grinning. "Before someone like say... _Kaio_ gets a chance to exploit them."

Mitani explodes at the mention of his loathed rival, and Akari and Kumiko cower comically over at their goban.

Frankly, it's Mitani's fault that Kaneko keeps taunting him: that affronted, haughty expression he's making now suits him far better than his default face, that "I couldn't give less of a damn" one he wears to match his non-regulation suspenders and perpetually unbuttoned jacket. Also, when Mitani's riled, his face flushes quite nicely. He's pretty for a boy, with almond-shaped eyes and pouty lips.

Mitani growls, and noisily starts sorting the stones to count his territory.

Kaneko watches him for a few seconds, mostly focusing on his hands. His fingers are quick and dexterous, and Kaneko decides it's a shame he's too lazy to play a sport.

But at least his fingernails are always clean and well-groomed.

**Anachronous:**

Third year brings with it tests, tests, more tests, a go tournament, and the prefectural volleyball championship.

Third year also brings puberty, full force. Kaneko shoots up several centimeters, until she's one of the tallest girls in middle school (and taller than many of the boys as well). She doesn't slim down any, but the height distributes her weight more evenly, and her muscles give her frame a certain athletic grace, if not the sort of delicacy possessed by slender girls like Akari.

When they study the _The Tale of Genji_ in Japanese class, Kaneko's attention is drawn immediately to the ink illustrations in the margins, pictures of women with small eyes and full, round faces, and long, long hair. They look like her, she thinks, while the teacher explains that the Heian ideals of beauty were vastly different from their own modern sensibilities.

Kaneko is proud of her accomplishments, but she can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy at those long-dead women, and their dumb luck to live in a time when they were considered beautiful and desirable, instead of ungainly and large.

But the jealousy dissipates later at practice when the captain exclaims in delight over her height, and assigns her a coveted position at the front of the net.

From now on, Kaneko will be an attacker.

**Interpretation:**

As it turns out, Kaneko is quite suited for the position.

Kaneko leaps through the air, her muscles propelling her upward, and her palm connects hard with the ball. She spikes the ball forward, sending it hurtling towards her opponent's feet. The girl can't compensate for Kaneko's speed and force, and stumbles in the dirt, missing the ball.

After the game, Kaneko's teammates high-five her, and Kaneko smiles.

She's heading to the locker room to wash up when she notices a familiar figure skulking around the bleachers, hands in his pockets. Apparently, although Mitani is too lazy to play sports, he's not too lazy to watch them.

"Mitani-kun."

Mitani scowls, obviously embarrassed at being spotted, but he turns around to acknowledge her.

"Aww, did you come to watch me?" Kaneko says, toweling some sweat off her face.

Mitani snorts. "I was bored. Anyway, that last part wasn't too bad."

Kaneko grins, recognizing Mitani-speak for "That was pretty damn awesome."

**Incongruity:**

"You play volleyball _and_ go? That's weird." The kid in her cram class makes a face, and twirls his mechanical pencil expertly around his fingers.

Kaneko shrugs. "_Mens sana in corpore sano_," she replies, not bothering to translate the Latin, even though she bets it will appear on the entrance exam somewhere.

_A sound mind in a sound body_: go and volleyball provide her with both. She likes go for many of the same reasons she likes volleyball. It is about strength; go, strength of the mind, volleyball, strength of the body. The satisfaction of placing a particularly cunning stone is equal to the thrill of slamming the ball through her opponents' defenses. Both go and volleyball challenge Kaneko, and she loves the confidence she gains from them.

She's good at school, of course, and confident in her smarts, but there's something... special about being a part of a team.

Maybe it's simply being needed.

**Potential:**

Kaneko is surprised by the sudden rush of anger that fills her when she sees the second semester rankings for the third year students. Not at her own ranking (no surprises there), but at Mitani's.

Mitani is near the dead bottom of the list.

Kaneko clenches her fists, calculating how soon the final round of high school entrance exams are coming up. She knows exactly how smart Mitani is. He learns quickly, rarely needing a second explanation, and he possesses an excellent recall. He still beats her three out of every four games.

He's just damn _lazy_.

However, Kaneko manages to compose her expression by the time she sees Mitani in go club. Anger doesn't work on his type; he'll just yell back.

Instead, Kaneko goes for straight for his Achilles heel.

"Poor Mitani-kun. You must be so disappointed," Kaneko sighs dramatically. "But don't let this get you too down. I'm sure you can still get a spot in Shinagawa High, or maybe Ikebukuro Central."

Mitani's eyes narrow to suspicious slits, and Kaneko realizes that Mitani isn't even aware of how the various high schools compare to each other.

So Kaneko decides to make it easy for Mitani to connect the dots. "If Shindou-kun gets tired of being a go pro, he might attend one of those schools. So you two could be classmates!"

Mitani does indeed connect the dots. "I'm not attending _any_ school that would accept an _idiot_ like that," he hisses, hair practically standing on end.

"Oh really? With these grades, it's a strong possibility," Kaneko informs Mitani coolly. "Of course, you could always _beg_ me to tutor you for the exams."

Mitani glares but says nothing; he knows she's already gotten accepted into her top choice.

"I'll think about it," he finally snaps, before grabbing his messenger bag and stalking off, but Kaneko can smell her victory.

She's _good_.

**Surprise:**

"And congratulations to Kaneko Masako! She will be attending Keio High, along with one other student from Haze, Yuki Mitani of the 1C class. We're so proud of both of them," says her homeroom teacher, beaming.

Everyone in class claps politely, but Kaneko barely remembers to bow, her mind completely overwhelmed.

_Mitani got accepted into_ **Keio**?!

True, Mitani had been working quite hard the past few months – Kaneko hadn't accepted any slack from him – but for Mitani to pass Keio's infamous entrance exam meant that Mitani had to have been doing far more studying than Kaneko had realized, in order to compensate for his lazing around for the majority of his junior high years.

At lunch break later, Kaneko can't help asking: "Why Keio? I thought you said that you didn't even know if you wanted to attend college. Keio's not going to be easy."

Mitani shrugs. "I don't. But how am I going to show you up in the rankings if we don't attend the same school?" he replies with his usual insolent tone, but he's not looking her in the eyes, and there's the faintest hint of red in his cheeks.

For once, Kaneko finds herself at a loss for words. Perhaps, Kaneko realizes, she hasn't got Mitani completely figured out just yet.

But that's okay. She has another three years, after all.

**--The** **End.**

**Author's Notes:**

I drew on my experiences as a junior high teacher in Japan for this (I taught girls' physical education, home economics, and English). It brought back memories, mostly fond. ^^

Manga references: I tried to track down every chapter that these characters appear in. There really aren't many, but here's what I found for your reference. Chapters: 19-23; 25; 27-28; 39; 41-43; 51; 57; 154; 162. Volume 18, Sidestory 4 is a Mitani special.

Also, note that in the Hikago Heian PlayStation game, there are some definite Kaneko / Mitani vibes! You can see screenshots at lucathia-rykatu's livejournal.


End file.
